Bullying and death threats over stammer left soldier Joe McCabe suicidal

A FORMER soldier has told how he tried to commit suicide five times after being bullied by comrades over his stammer.

ABUSE: The bullying over Joe McCabe's stammer escalated to violence and death threats [GETTY/MODEL USED]

Joe McCabe said that when he followed family tradition and joined the Army he felt he had “won the lottery”. But it all turned sour when he failed to join fellow soldiers on drunken nights out.

Soon his stammer, which had been under control, returned and bullying turned to violence and death threats. Even corporals and sergeants, whose job was to monitor bullying, joined in.

While serving in Iraq in 2008, a soldier put a knife to his throat, telling him: “You’ve got to the end of the tour to kill yourself. If not, accidents happen on tour.” The following year Joe was stabbed in the leg.

“They focused on the way I talked every single day, from the moment I got on parade to the moment I finished,” he said. “It wasn’t just the lads, it was NCOs too. My speech impediment got worse but the more they saw it get to me, the more they pushed.”

He told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “After the stabbing I put in transfer requests to different regiments. I tried anything I could to get away from them but all my requests were denied.

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Despite being diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder by Combat Stress psychologists, the Army has refused to pay Joe compensation

“I was sent to a camp psychiatrist and was told nothing was the matter with me, all I needed was to go to a bar and get drunk. I went to other psychiatrists and they advised I should be discharged as soon as possible but this was ignored. I tried to kill myself five times after that.”

Despite being diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder by Combat Stress psychologists, the Army has refused to pay Joe compensation. He has appealed, with backing from the Royal British Legion. He has also launched a civil action against the Ministry of Defence.

Last night Colonel Richard Kemp, former commander of British forces in Afghanistan, said: “Unfortunately there will always be bullying in the British Army.

“It’s not a good thing but it’s a side effect of building a strong team in a masculine environment. The failure here was one of leadership. If NCOs ignored this soldier’s distress, it’s worrying.”

A Defence Ministry spokesman said the Armed Forces had a zero tolerance approach to bullying and all allegations were thoroughly investigated.

Joe’s case comes as the Royal British Legion launches a study to examine the effects of defence cuts and welfare reforms on members of the Armed Forces adapting to Civvy Street. It will help Legion strategists, other charities and local authorities decide where to place resources over the next decade.